


Angel With A Shotgun - Leo Valdez

by itshvnnvh



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Heroes of Olympus, HoO - Freeform, OC, PJO, leo imagine, leo valdez - Freeform, leo x reader, percy jackson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 03:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11797485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itshvnnvh/pseuds/itshvnnvh
Summary: It's never easy being in love in a time of war.Especially when the end of that war may bring the end of the world.





	Angel With A Shotgun - Leo Valdez

You always knew Leo would fight for you. That’s always the type of person he’s been. Leo Valdez: son of Hephaestus, evil genius, defender of those he cared for. The two of you had grown close since he’d arrived at Camp Half-Blood. You spent many sleepless nights with him while he constructed the Argo II. Your favorite memory was the two of you on the couch in Bunker 9, Leo’s head in your lap, snoring after you’d yelled at him for pulling a 56 hour bender.  
You were always in awe of how much he loved building things. The light that appeared in his eyes when he talked about his latest invention, or when he explained the difference between a combination wrench and an adjustable wrench.  
As a daughter of Apollo, you were more familiar with bows and arrows than tools. But Leo did his best giving instructions whenever you helped him on the ship. During those times you’d have talks about things neither of you would ever talk to anyone else about. Leo talked about his life after his mom died; how much guilt he’d felt, his life on the run, and the feelings of never belonging anywhere. And you’d told him about your life before Camp. How your mother was so heartbroken after Apollo left her with nothing but a screaming baby and a lousy goodbye in haiku form.  
“I never had much of a family,” you said to him. The two of you had been—as always—in Bunker 9, Leo hunched over his work bench, you on a stool next to him handing him whatever he needed. “Mom never recovered after Apollo left. She always resented me for it, as if I could have done something to stop him from leaving. Because at three days old I could’ve said ‘Hey, Dad, don’t leave. Screw your duties on Mount Olympus, or all your other children. Stay here with me and Captain Crazy.’” You felt pinpricks of tears in the corners of your eyes. “When I was eight she went to work one day and never came home. I haven’t seen or heard from her since. All of my family thinks that she drove her car off a cliff with me in it. They don’t care that neither of our bodies were ever found.”  
You hadn’t realized that Leo had stopped working, and his hand was in yours. He was listening intently to every word you said.  
“We lived in Oklahoma. She left in July so I didn’t have to worry about getting myself to school. I slept in her bed every night hoping I’d wake up with her next to me. Four nights went by and nothing happened. Then I woke up one morning next to Thalia’s tree with a backpack of stuff and no idea where I was. Chiron found me and brought me inside the boundary line. I like to believe that Dad is the one who brought me here.” You looked down at the gold bracelet on your wrist. You’d had it for as long as you can remember. It was a gold chain with a sun in the center. Your mom used to tell you it was the only gift your dad would ever give you.  
You took a shaky breath, about to admit something you’d never told anyone. “I still have dreams about her screaming at me. Telling me it’s all my fault. That she wishes I were never born. That all I am is a burden. Maybe she was right.”  
“Hey,” Leo said. “Don’t you ever say that, (Y/N). You are not a burden on anyone. Not every mortal can handle the aftermath of having a demigod. Your mom doesn’t deserve a daughter as kind and caring as the one she got. And it’s her loss that she’s never going to see how amazing you became, or see you on your wedding day, or the beautiful kids you’re gonna have.”  
He used his thumb to wipe away stray tears falling from your eyes.  
Leo continued speaking. “If she hadn’t left you, you might have never made it to Camp Half-Blood, and I would’ve never met you. My life would’ve really sucked if that happened. You’re my best friend, a kick-ass fighter, and better at building the Argo II than anyone else. Don’t tell Percy that last part; he thinks he belongs in the Hephaestus cabin now.”  
You giggled at that last part. How’d you gotten so lucky to have a friend like Leo, you’d never know. His hand was still in yours, his thumb rubbing over the skin of your hand. He used his free hand to push stray hair behind your ear. His skin was warm against yours, and you wished you could be holding his hand all the time.  
Leo’s chocolate brown eyes fluttered between your (E/C) eyes, and your lips. You sat up a little straighter as he ever so slightly leaned in. When you were inches away, Leo whispered mi alma, his breath hot near your lips. The gap between you and him was about to close when someone pounded on the door to Bunker 9.  
“Leo! (Y/N)!” Annabeth called. “Dinner started five minutes ago. You can work on the ship later.”  
To your chagrin, you said, “We’d better get going.”  
You wouldn’t learn what mi alma meant until much later.

At dinner you sat next to Will Solace. You lazily picked at your food; you spent most of the time thinking about what had just happened in Bunker 9.  
“(Y/N),” Will said next to you.  
“Sorry, what?”  
“You okay? You haven’t really eaten, and your eyes are puffy. Are you sick? Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?”  
“No, no. I’m okay. I’ve just been in the bunker all day. I’ll be fine.”  
Will could sense that there was more to the story, but he didn’t push you to talk. That was something you loved about him. As a healer, he knew when things needed to be pushed, and when they didn’t.  
After dinner was over, Leo waited outside the pavilion for you.  
You asked, “Are you going back to the bunker?”  
“The faster I get the Argo II done, the faster we can shut Gaea down.”  
You nodded. “I guess I’ll see you—”  
“Wait!” He said. “Will you come with me? It gets lonely there at night. Sometimes I have conversations with Festus to keep myself from falling asleep.”  
“Sure.”  
You were halfway to the bunker when Leo spoke up. “Can I tell you something?”  
“Of course. You can always tell me anything.”  
He took a deep breath and stopped walking. “I’m terrified about this war.”  
You stopped next to him. “You’re not the only one. Gaea sends me dreams about it. About how everything we do will be hopeless in the end. How all my friends are going to die.”  
He took your hand in his and squeezed it. “I’m not going anywhere, (Y/N). And I’m not letting you go anywhere either.”  
“Leo, one of us isn’t making it out of this war alive.”  
“Don’t say that. We’re all coming back alive. I’ll make sure of it.”  
You decided not to say anything else. Leo continued to walk toward the bunker, still holding your hand. As you walked you thought about the odds of walking away with no casualties—they weren’t good. You’d been thinking about it a lot lately. Gaea had been coming into your dreams and telling how about how all your friends would die, and there was nothing you could do to save them.  
You’d made a decision long ago: that if it came to it, you’d sacrifice yourself to save your friends.  
To save Leo.

Leo, as usual, was hunched over his work bench, laser-focused on his work. You sat on the stool next to him, playing with a little cube he’d made you to help with your ADHD. Suddenly he stood, a wild grin plastered on his face. “It’s done!”  
You stood up too. “Really?”  
He nodded. “Everything. It’s perfect—it’s my masterpiece. We can leave tomorrow. I have to tell the others. I have to—”  
“Leo, Leo, wait. What time is it?” You searched around the walls for a clock, but didn’t see one. Leo reached across his bench and pulled over a small analogue clock, the numbers 2:13 shone fluorescent green. “It’s after two in the morning. You can wait until breakfast to tell them.”  
He finally slowed down and processed the information. “You’re right. It’s really that late?”  
You nodded. “How long have you been awake?” He began counting on his fingers. He stopped at eight fingers and held them up. “Eight what? Eight days? Leo, you can’t—”  
“No, eighty hours. I don’t have that many fingers.”  
“You need to sleep. Eighty hours is,” you tried to do the math in your head, but math was never your strong suit.  
“Over three days.”  
“Yeah, you’re going to sleep. Come on.” You took his hand and dragged him over to the couch in the bunker. In the corner was a blanket that you’d brought the first time you spent the night in the bunker but never brought back to your cabin. You picked it up and brought it over to Leo. He took it from your hands and covered himself in the soft fabric.  
“It smells like you,” he admitted.  
“Is that good or bad?”  
“Good. Very good. It smells like jasmine and honey.”  
That made you smile. “Goodnight, Leo. I’ll see you in the morning.” You turned around and began to walk toward the door.  
“(Y/N)!” Leo called behind you. You turned around to face him. He reminded you of a toddler, the way he was curled in your blanket, a toothy grin spread on his tan skin. “Will you stay with me? Please?”  
Without hesitation—which surprised you—you responded, “Yes.” You went back to the couch, where Leo was holding up the blanket, making a spot for you. This was the first time the two of you had slept on the couch together. Usually when you both fell asleep in Bunker 9, you ended up on the couch and Leo slept over his work bench or on the floor. You always offered to let him take the couch, but he insisted you sleep there.  
You climbed in next to Leo. He thought about how to comfortably position yourselves.  
“Is it, um.” He stuttered nervously. “Would it be okay if I put my arm around you?”  
You didn’t expect to blush, but once you felt it, you hoped Leo couldn’t see it in the dim light of Bunker 9. “Yeah, go ahead.”  
He reached his arm around your shoulders and pulled you both so you’re laying down. He lay his head on your shoulder, and within minutes he was sound asleep. You ran your hand through his dark brown curls. Soon his snoring filled the room.  
You knew he couldn’t hear you—Leo Valdez was the heaviest sleeper in the world. So you decided to use the one of the other gifts your father gave you: the power to make a shitty haiku come from nowhere.  
“Sleep my sweet angel /  
Who knows what morning will bring /  
I’ll be there with you”  
Soon the only sounds coming from Bunker 9 were the quiet humming of machines and Leo’s snoring, as you fell asleep.

Branches cracked under your boots. You held your bow in front of you, an arrow already notched, ready to fire.  
“Silly little half-blood,” a voice called out. It didn’t feel close to you, but it was present, as if it was a narrator in a movie. “You think you can outsmart me? I know your plan.”  
You had only heard this voice in your dreams. There was only one person it could belong to.  
Gaea.  
“How noble of you to think that by sacrificing yourself you can save that boyfriend of yours. You can’t save him, (Y/N). And do you think I’m going to let you die? You are such an important part of my plan.”  
You looked up to see if there was any trace of Gaea—anything at all you could shoot. You looked ahead and suddenly something appeared. Not something. A person.  
Leo.  
You tried calling out to him, to tell him this was a trap and to hide, but nothing escaped your mouth. Something was creeping up behind him. You tried desperately to point, to make any sort of sound, but you were frozen. There was only one way this would end.  
Leo was going to die.  
And you couldn’t save him.  
Someone was behind him now, a Celestial bronze sword in their hands. In one swift motion, the blade went through Leo’s chest. Leo crumpled to his knees, blood spilling from his wound. His assailant disappeared into thin air, but the voice returned.  
Only it was coming from Leo’s mouth.  
“How could you just stand there and let me die?”  
You were still frozen, but not because of Gaea. Because this was your worst fear.  
When Leo opened his mouth again, his voice was the one that came out.  
Just a single word.  
“Run.”

You woke up screaming. A pair of tan arms wrapped around your waist.  
“Shh, shh, (Y/N). I’m right here. Everything is okay. I’m right here.”  
Leo. He was okay.  
You grabbed a handful of his shirt and clutched it for dear life, tears streaming down your face. One of Leo’s hands rubbed your back, the other was in your hair. “Tell me what happened. Was it your mom?”  
You shook your head. Through shaky breaths you choked out, “It was Gaea. She sent me another dream. You were there and then you were gone—you were dead.”  
“Shh, (Y/N), I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. You’re safe with me. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, or to anyone.”  
“You can’t die on me,” you whispered to him.  
“I promise you, I’m not going anywhere, mi alma.”  
“Promise?”  
“I swear on the River Styx. There’s still time before breakfast. Try to go back to sleep.”  
You nodded and rested your head against Leo’s chest. It took longer than you wanted, but you were back asleep.

You woke up again, this time nightmare free. Leo’s arms were still wrapped around you, protective as armor. He smiled down at you, a smile filled with concern and care and something you’d never seen from him before.  
Could it be. . .  
Love?  
“How’d you sleep?” He asked, clearly worried about you.  
“Better.” Your throat was dry and your voice came out hoarse. “Thank you for staying.”  
“I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.” He glanced at the clock on his work bench. “It’s time for breakfast. Then it’s time to see how well my masterpiece works.”  
You didn’t want to get up. If your dream last night was any indication of how this war was going to be, you didn’t want Leo going anywhere near that ship.  
Gaea knew your plan, and she knew how to use it against you. She was going to kill Leo to get to you.  
Leo could sense the uneasiness in you. He pressed a featherlight kiss to your forehead. “I know you’re still shaken up, but you need to eat. You took care of me when I was building the Argo II, now it’s my turn to take care of you.”  
You looked him in his deep brown eyes and nodded. Carefully, you stood up from the couch, fearing if you moved too fast you’d break down like a house of cards in the wind. Leo held his hand out to you. You laced your fingers with his, and he lead you out of Bunker 9 to the heart of Camp.  
He stopped in front of Cabin 7. “How about you get washed up and change your clothes and I’ll meet you in the pavilion.”  
You looked around you before nodding. Leo pulled you in for a hug. At only 5’3”, you were one of the only girls who was shorter than Leo. He rested his chin on the top of your head, and rubbed circles into your back. He smelled faintly of jasmine and honey—just like your blanket.  
After he pulled away and noticed the worried look in your eyes, he said,  
“I can wait here for you if you want?”  
You shook your head. “No, no. Um, go tell the others that the ship is ready. I’ll meet you there.”  
He looked unsure at first but eventually nodded. You watched as he scurried to the dining pavilion to inform the others of the status of Argo II. You walked through the doors of Cabin 7, maybe for the last time ever. You pulled a backpack out from under your bunk, and threw it on your bed. There were already some clean clothes in it. You added another shirt and another pair of pants to the pile, along with a water bottle full of nectar and a sandwich bag of ambrosia squares, courtesy of Will Solace. You also threw in the last of your mortal money, an enchanted quiver that always reloaded with arrows, and a stick of deodorant.  
Once your bag was all packed, you headed over to the showers. A herd of Aphrodite girls were crowding the mirrors, holding tweezers up to each others faces. You found an uncrowded mirror in the corner of the bathroom. It was the first time in nearly three days you’d seen a reflection of yourself. Your hair was everywhere, the bags under your eyes had grown, and there were smears of dirt in some places—probably from Leo.  
You washed up quickly, ignoring the looks from the Aphrodite girls. You slung your pack over your shoulder and trekked up to the dining pavilion to find Leo. He was sitting at the Hephaestus table, making large gestures with his hands, probably gushing to his siblings over Argo II. Without looking back, you walked straight over to the Hephaestus table and sat next to Leo. You ignored the stares from his cabin mates, and everyone else at camp. Sitting at another god’s table was a big no-no at Camp Half-Blood. But based on the look on your face and how defensive Leo got when you sat down, nobody said anything.  
Leo leaned in close so only you could hear what he was saying. “Are you going to eat?” You shook your head. “(Y/N), you need to eat. Our quest starts today, you need your energy.”  
Your eyes met his. There was a pleading look in his beautiful brown eyes  
“Yeah, I guess I’ll go get something.”  
“No, you stay here, and I’ll get you breakfast.” He lingered for a second, thinking about if he should kiss your forehead, but ultimately decided against it.  
His siblings stared at you after he left. Finally Nyssa spoke up. “Are you nervous for the quest?”  
You knew how nervous the whole camp was for the quest and everything that would follow. “Yeah, I am. But I’m confident that with Leo’s ship, we have a better chance of making it out alive.”  
“What about my ship?” Leo asked from behind you, as if he hadn’t left. “Today’s date is an even number, which means you eat Cheerios and a red apple for breakfast.” He placed the bowl and fruit down in front of you.  
“You know what I eat for breakfast?” You asked quizzically.  
Leo grinned next to you, taking a bite out of an apple he’d gotten for himself. “On even-number days you have Cheerios and a red apple—even though green apples are totally the best. And on odd-numbered days you have waffles and an orange.” He looked so proud of himself. “Oh! On your birthday you have banana pancakes and bacon.”  
You smiled at him. It made you happy that Leo paid that much attention to you.  
“Do you need anything else?” He asked you. “If you need anything just tell me and I’ll get it.”  
“Uh, no, thank you.”  
Nyssa asked, “What’s gotten into you, Valdez? I’ve never seen you like this?”  
“Well, (Y/N) took such good care of my while I built Argo II, and now that it’s done, it’s time I repay her.” He snaked an arm around your waist. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. The boy had that same goofy grin on his face that he has when he talks about mechanical stuff.  
You ate your breakfast while Leo told more kids about how awesome Argo II is. You got through all your cereal and half your apple. You went to throw the other half away when Leo piped up, “Wait, I want it.”  
Without a second thought, you tossed the half eaten apple to Leo. You half expected him to turn it into some gadget; you really didn’t expect him to take a bite from it and finish it.  
“I’m gonna go find Annabeth and make sure everything is set for the quest.” You told him.  
He gave you a little nod and watched as you went to find Annabeth.  
You found her sitting outside Percy’s cabin, a small backpack at her feet.  
“Percy!” She yelled. “You’ve packed for how many quests already? You don’t need to bring your pillow pet!”  
“Hey, Annabeth, can we talk?”  
She smiled up at you. “Of course. Percy, if I come back and that damn pillow pet is in your bag, I’m gonna rip it apart myself.” She turned back to you. “What’s up?”  
“Can we talk somewhere more private?”  
She nodded and followed you to the dock behind Percy’s cabin.  
“Your mom is the goddess of battle strategy.” It wasn’t a question. It was you justifying what you were asking of her. “So that makes you a master strategist.”  
“Yes,” she said, not sure where you were going with this.  
You took a deep breath. “When the battle starts, I need you to keep Leo as far away from the fighting as possible.”  
“(Y/N), I don’t know how realistic that is. When we get there, we’re more than likely going to need everyone to fight. Why do you want Leo away from the fight?”  
You explained your dream to her. Gaea’s words, Leo dying.  
“She’ll use him against me. She knows that he’s my weakness. If I can hide him from her, I can take her down. She said she didn’t want me dead. But she knows that the second something happens to Leo, I’m done. I need to eliminate one of the options.”  
“What’ll happen if she does get to Leo? Do you have a plan?”  
You sighed. “Yeah, I have a plan. An exchange.”  
It took her a second, but Annabeth understood what you meant by exchange. “Your life for Leo’s. You’d trade your life to Gaea in order to save Leo. Why?”  
“You know why. The same reason you would do it for Percy. Because I love him.”  
She sighed and thought about the options. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not promising anything.”  
You breathed a sigh of relief. “You can’t tell Leo about this talk.”  
“I figured that.”  
“And, Annabeth, I’ve known for a while that if it all came down to it, I’d sacrifice myself for the rest of you. Gaea already knows that, and you’re the only other person I’ve told. The less people that know, the better. If anything does happen to me, and I don’t make it back, promise me you’ll look after him.”  
“(Y/N)—”  
Through gritted teeth, you said, “Promise me, Annabeth.”  
“I promise.”  
You turned away and started walking back toward the heart of camp.  
“(Y/N),” Annabeth called. You turned around. “Nothing is going to happen to you, either. I promise.”  
“I really hope you’re right.”

The Argo II set sail after lunch. Leo wanted to give it a proper send off, breaking a champagne bottle on the bow and everything. Chiron vetoed that pretty quick, although Mr. D seemed to enjoy the suggestion. Everyone was amazed at how much work Leo had put into the ship. His siblings all patted him on the back for his impeccable work.  
Everyone got their own cabin, which was nice. You loved your siblings and would do almost anything for them, but it was nice to have a room to yourself for once. The last time you had your own room was in Oklahoma. Even after the summer, you weren’t the only year-round Apollo camper.  
You set your bow and quiver on hooks Leo had nailed in the wall. At Camp you didn’t have any keepsakes from home; no pictures, toys, or anything that tied you to your mom. All you had was the gold bracelet. Besides the hooks, the walls were bare. In the Apollo cabin, other kids had posters and pictures hanging. Memories of things that made them happy. Everything and everyone that made you happy was on the ship with you.  
A small cube sat on the desk Leo installed. Each side had something to fidget with. It was the cube Leo had made you that you kept in Bunker 9. It was small and blue with your initials were carved in it (Leo insisted on doing that so nobody would steal it from you). You picked it up and slid it in your jacket pocket.  
The Argo II was somewhere over the Atlantic when the dinner bell sounded. You made your way to the mess hall where Annabeth, Percy, and Jason were gathered. She caught you from the corner of her eye and smiled. She discretely shook her head and you understood what she meant: they weren’t talking about your plan for Gaea.  
Everyone else trickled in and took a spot at the table. A plate of barbeque chicken and sweet potato appeared in front of you. It was the same type of magic that filled drink cups at Camp. The plate sensed what you wanted to eat, and presto there it is. Your heart sank a little; this was the first dinner you had at Camp Half-Blood when you were eight years old. Your mind wanted to start and end this journey in the same place. It was a cruel joke you were playing on yourself.  
Leo started a small fire in the bronze brazier in the corner of the room. Everyone got up and scraped a portion of their food into the flames, bowing their heads and saying a prayer. You were the last to go. Half your chicken and some sweet potato flopped from the plate to the fire, sending the aroma to Mount Olympus. Your prayer took a little longer than the others.  
Apollo, please accept this offering. I hope that I’ve been a good enough daughter and hero, and that if anything is to happen to me in this battle, you are proud of me. If I don’t make it out alive, maybe you could make me into a constellation.  
Leo stood next to you, eyes closed, saying a prayer to his father. When he finished, he looked at you with that goofy smile you’d come to love. You tried your best to memorize all of his features, but after a second knew you would cry.  
You smiled back at him. “Let’s eat.”

You couldn’t sleep. After last night you didn’t want to try. You left your cabin and roamed the deck. Your favorite curly haired mechanic was laying down in the center of the ship, staring up at the stars.  
“What are you doing up?” You asked him.  
He looked up at you, smiling. “I wanted to make sure the first night goes smoothly. Plus, the stars are really pretty.” He tapped the open space next to him, beckoning you to sit with him. You obliged, looking up at the stars.  
You immediately recognized a constellation. You pointed up to show Leo. “My dad put that one in the sky.”  
He scooted closer to you; your hands found each other. “Which one?”  
“Lyra, the Harp.” You brought his attention to Vega, the brightest star in the sky, the tip of the constellation. “Do you know the story of Orpheus?”  
“Isn’t he the dude that tried to bring his wife back from the Underworld? All he had to do was lead her out without looking at her, right?”  
You nodded. “They were almost out, but he wanted to see her. He gazed upon her, and she got to say one final word before she vanished. His music was so sweet—sweeter than any other mortal could play. Almost as sweet as that of my father. After the Muses buried him, my father placed his harp in the sky as tribute.”  
Leo turned his head to admire you. The way the moonlight caught your (E/C) eyes in just the right way; the way your lips turned up as you explained the story to him; the freckles that scattered your face, forming a constellation of their own.  
“I love the stars,” you continued. “The stories behind them; the fact that no one will ever know how many there are exactly. I wish they were visible in the daytime.”  
Leo fought the urge to say something corny like, but you’re brighter than any star. He wouldn’t be lying. He noticed your eyes trying to close, but you forced them to stay open. “Are you scared to fall asleep?”  
You looked over at him. His curly hair was falling in his face.  
“I can’t have a dream like that again. I always thought the dreams of my mom would be the worst I ever had, but I was wrong. Each dream she sends me takes part of me away. I’m scared I won’t be able to fight her.”  
“You are one of the best fighters I have ever met. If I had to pick one person to go up against Gaea with, it’d be you.” He squeezed your hand. It was one of the gestures you loved from him. The warmth coming from his skin, the comfort in knowing he was real and he was there. He stood, pulling you with him. “Come on. If Coach Hedge catches us out here this late he’ll try to ground us.”  
You’d follow him anywhere, but instinctively you asked, “Where are we going?”  
His devilish grin returned to his face. “Just follow me.”  
Knowing Leo, you could’ve ended up in Antarctica. You didn’t expect to end up in his cabin. Juxtaposed to Bunker 9, it was clean. He brought very little with him—his tool belt sat on a desk, schematics and diagrams scattered across the walls. “What are we doing here, Valdez.”  
“When I was little and I had trouble sleeping, I would crawl into my mom’s bed. She would rub my back and whisper ‘it’ll be okay, mijo. It was just a bad dream, I promise it won’t come back.’ I always slept better when she told me that.”  
You had always wondered what your childhood would have been like if you’d had a mom as nurturing as Sally Jackson or Esperanza Valdez. A mom that would wake up and make breakfast every morning, and was genuinely happy to see you. Instead, you’d been dealt the shitty hand.  
“That still doesn’t answer what we’re doing in your cabin.”  
“We’re gonna have a sleepover. It’ll be just like Bunker 9. You can sleep on my bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”  
You tried to argue. “Leo—”  
“No ‘buts’. You need your sleep, and I know that you’ll stay awake until you collapse. You and I are similar in that way.”  
He shot you a pouty look—a look he knew you couldn’t say no to. “Fine, we’ll have a sleepover.”  
His smile reached the heavens. This boy was going to be the death of you. Possibly in a literal way. He pulled you into his cabin, like a kid pulling their parents into a store they want to go in to. His bed was an island of blankets and pillows. Leo pulled one blanket and one pillow off his bed and set them on the floor.  
“Is that my blanket?” You asked him.  
A blush spread across his face. “Uh, yeah. I grabbed it before we left. I meant to give it to you. I must have forgotten about it.” He started to grab a different blanket off his bed, but you stopped him. You remembered how happy he was last night in Bunker 9, snuggled in your blanket.  
“Use it. You have five million other blankets I can use.”  
He looked up at you, a hopeful smiled tugged at his lips. “Really?”  
“Yes, Leo.”  
He pulled the blanket up to his chin, a smile still splayed on his beautiful face. You climbed into his bed, pulled two blankets over you, and lay your head on the mountain of pillows. Leo tapped the floor in a rhythmic pattern that you were ninety-nine percent positive was Morse code. It was something he did absentmindedly when he worked. You knew he picked it up from his mom—something special they shared. He tried to teach you once one night in Bunker 9, but your ADHD kept you distracted from counting the taps.  
Either ten minutes or ten years went by of you staring at the wall. Leo had stopped tapping, but wasn’t snoring.  
“Leo?” You whispered.  
“Yeah.”  
“Can you, um,” you felt awkward asking him this. “Can you come up here? At least until I fall asleep.”  
His head popped up. “Of course.” He climbed in next to you, so you were between him and the wall. He put his arm around your shoulders, the same way he had last night. His chest became your pillow, warm and secure. Leo rubbed your back; small, soothing circles to help you fall asleep.  
“Go to sleep, mi alma. Everything is alright. I promise a nightmare won’t come back.” He whispered to you.  
You felt yourself growing sleepier. One question loomed in the back of your mind; a question you’d been wondering for a while.  
“Are you ever going to tell me what mi alma means?”  
He chuckled. “Maybe someday.”

The Argo II landed late the next afternoon. Leo hid the ship in some hills. Who knows what it would look like through the Mist. Maybe mortals would see a really big pigeon just hanging out in some hills.  
You wished you could have had time to admire Greece. The beautiful landscapes, the magnificent architecture, the rich history. Besides Camp Half-Blood, this was the only place you’d ever felt at home. Oklahoma was never home, it was only the place you were born; it was the farthest place you’d felt from home. Home doesn’t include crazy mothers that scream at you for your godly parent leaving. Home was where you were supposed to feel safe and warm and loved.  
Under different circumstances, this would have been a perfect home. You allowed yourself to imagine starting a life here. A life without gods and monsters intervening in every situation you’re in. A life in five or ten years where your bouncing little toddlers waddled up to you, so excited about their latest finger painting. A life where you were happily married to a husband that kissed you every night when he came home. A life with Leo.  
A life you’d never get to have.  
“I know what you’re thinking,” Leo said, appearing next to you.  
“Do you?”  
A smiled pulled at the corners of his mouth. “You’re thinking about how unlucky you are that the gods chose you for this quest. About how nice it’d be to have a life here.”  
“How’d you know?”  
He looked at you. “Because I’ve been thinking the exact same thing since we landed here.”  
“Percy and Annabeth are the ones that truly deserve it. Six years of nonstop fighting monsters and being pieces in the game of the gods. Don’t they deserve a break?”  
His eyes made his smile turn from hopeful to hopeless. “Once Gaea is dead, we’ll all have a break. We’re all gonna get as close to a normal life as a demigod can have. We all deserve it.” He thought about something before speaking again. “You and I are gonna go back to Camp Half-Blood, and we’ll be done with quests. You’ll teach little campers archery and I’ll be holed up in Bunker 9, turning rocks into random gadgets, and teach arts and crafts. We’ll play pranks on Jason, and raise all sorts of hell for Mr. D. You and I will be happy.”  
How long had he been thinking about this? All he wanted after this was to live a life at Camp with you. He wanted something that you knew was almost impossible. If this quest didn’t succeed, if Gaea won in the end. . . You knew better than to get your hopes up that high. But you couldn’t help but imagine how happy you and Leo could be after the war. Running around Camp together, training a new generation of warriors. Leo hunched over his work bench in the bunker, constantly turning out new inventions. Maybe in a few years you could move to New Rome, go to college, start a family.  
How the hell were you supposed to say goodbye to him?  
Tears pricked the corner of your eyes. You wanted all that, and you wanted all that with Leo. But if this battle went the way your dream alluded to, then all you had were days, maybe even hours with him. If you didn’t make it back to Camp, Annabeth better make sure he taught crafts to little campers. After that declaration, you had a feeling if something happened to you, he’d sit in Bunker 9 until he died. He explained to you what happened to his bisabuelo—great-grandfather—Sammy. After Hazel, the girl he loved, moved away and he believed her to be dead (which she was, for 70 years, anyway) he never forgave himself.  
Leo would be the same way. If something were to happen to you, Leo would never forgive himself. He turned you toward him and used his thumbs to wipe the tears from your cheeks. He didn’t ask why you were crying; he comforted you and that’s all you could’ve asked for.

 

The battle started too soon after you touched down in Greece. Everyone was fighting—even Leo. You’ve seen him fight before, and he was a damn good fighter—but here he looked out of his element. Quickly, you notched an arrow and shot it at the giant cyclops in front of Leo, hitting it in the back of the knee. Leo looked around surprised, until yours eyes locked across the battlefield. You sent him a smirk, a silent you’re welcome.  
He found another cyclops to try and destroy. You searched around the battlefield for Annabeth. She was sneaking up behind a giant cyclops that was lumbering over to Hazel. She stabbed it in the leg and stood over it as it turned to dust. When she looked up, her gray eyes met yours. She knew it was time. She glanced at Leo, chasing a cyclops with a Celestial bronze hammer, then back to you. She nodded at you, telling you she’d hold up her end of the deal. If you didn’t come back, she was going to look after Leo. You trusted her with the task. After all, she’d kept Percy alive all these years.  
You did one more quick glance around the field. It may have been the last time you’d see your friends ever again. You tried to take in all of their features, but it was hard to do in eight seconds. Any longer and you’d start crying, not to mention that the longer you waited, the longer Gaea had to advance. You allowed yourself one last look at Leo, one last time. Despite your efforts, tears pricked the corners of your eyes. You whispered I love you, but you knew he’d never hear it.  
You turned and slipped into the woods, not daring to look back.  
About three miles away from the battlefield you came across a small pond. Looking into it, you imagined, is what Piper must have felt when she looked into Katoptris. You saw the reflection of a girl, looking terrified as all hell, probably about to do the stupidest thing she’d ever thought of. Who thinks they can fight off Gaea, the mother of titans and giants, and come out alive? Crazy people.  
Crazy people and you.  
A loud crunch sounded not too far away from your position. Something was coming toward you, and it was big. You looked down to see if there was a large rock or something you could throw at it. The only thing you could see was your gold bracelet. A plan formulated in your head. A completely idiotic plan, but a plan nonetheless.  
You took off your gold bracelet for the first time in years, and dropped it to the ground. Hopefully Leo would find it and know you were near.  
“Dad, I have never asked you for anything before. Not even when my mom went nuts. But I am asking you now, please, please protect him. I’m doing what I have to to save your world, so can you do everything in your power to save mine? I will rot away in the Fields of Punishment for all eternity if that’s what you want. Just, please, save Leo. If he finds this bracelet but it’s already too late for me, do whatever you can to make him turn back. And, Dad, just know that I don’t blame you for my mom. I don’t blame you for taking so long to claim me. But thank you for getting me to Camp.”  
There was no immediate sign. No ray of sunlight bursting down, no lyre music, no shitty haiku coming from the trees. You just prayed even harder to your father. You even threw in a quick prayer to Hephaestus for good measure.  
The forest was like a scene straight from your last dream. Branches snapped under your feet, your bow was at the ready. You spotted the source of the noise: a cyclops with his back turned to you, using a tree as a toothpick. You didn’t know what he was picking out of his teeth, you just hoped it wasn’t one of your friends.  
You raised your bow, locking in on your target. An arrow sailed centimeters away from the cyclops’s eye and stuck itself in a tree. The ugly thing turned, searching for the source of the arrow.  
“Hey, Ugly!” You screamed. “Down here. You’re working for Gaea, right? Well not for long, because I’m gonna kill her.”  
The cyclops snarled at you and picked up another tree out of the ground, ready to use it like a baseball bat. You didn’t want to know what it felt like to be hit like a homerun. You turned and started sprinting, thankful that Chiron made campers run as part of their training.  
You’d spent years running around Camp Half-Blood, running from the Stoll brothers, running from Aphrodite kids coming at you with mascara, running from Percy when he tried to throw you in the lake. Those were all for fun—just kids chasing each other around without consequences or repercussions to worry about. This, however, was nothing like you’d ever experienced. You’d never had to run for your life—one wrong turn, one minor trip, and a cyclops was going to squash you like a mosquito. One misstep and you’d be eradicated from existence.  
Your lungs hadn’t even started burning when everything went black.

The other seven had defeated Gaea’s army. All that was left was Mother Monster herself. Leo looked around, trying to decide which direction to go. Then he noticed (Y/N) was missing.  
“Where’s (Y/N)?” he asked.  
Everyone else looked around, as if they were just noticing she was gone. Everyone but Annabeth.  
She spoke up. “Leo, why don’t you go get the ship. We’ll track down Gaea, and we can leave the second she’s dead.”  
“Annabeth,” he said, anger dripping with every word. She knew something, and she was hiding it. He could feel his knuckles getting hot—getting ready to spark. “Where. Is. She?”  
“She made me promise to keep you off the front line. She didn’t want to risk Gaea getting to you.”  
“Annabeth Chase, where is she?”  
“She made a plan to sacrifice herself to save you—to save all of us. I promised her if anything happened to her I’d look after you.”  
“I swore on the River Styx that she’d be okay. That we would both walk away from this alive. Promise or not, I wont be able to live with myself if anything were to happen to her. I can’t believe she’s doing something this stupid.”  
Leo started to walk off, wishing he had tracking abilities to find which direction you’d gone in.  
“Where are you going?” Annabeth called behind him.  
“To find her! You may be okay with letting her die, but I’m not. Go and find Gaea, but I’m not leaving unless she’s leaving with me.”  
He continued on into the unfamiliar territory, hoping you’d hop down from a tree and everything would be okay. But Leo knew better. He knew that if you were keeping a decision as big as this from him, chances were that you were going to fight until your last breath.  
Twigs crunched under his feet. Frank ran to catch up with him.  
Leo looked straight ahead. “If you’re here to stop me, you can go back to everyone else. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to find her.”  
“I’m not stopping you,” Frank said. “She’s my friend, too. I don’t want to leave without her. Plus, I can tell how important it is that you find her. And I hope that if the situation were reversed—if I was looking for Hazel—you’d be helping me.”  
Leo looked at Frank. The comparison made him happy. “You know I would.”  
Alright, Valdez, Leo thought to himself. When I find her, no more messing around. She’s the one. Make sure she knows that.  
He and Frank continued on for what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes. Something on the ground caught the sunlight and was shining in Leo’s eye. Oh, gods, he thought, don’t let that be what I think it is. He bent down and picked up the gold bracelet.  
“What is that?” Frank asked.  
“It’s (Y/N)’s. She’s never taken this off. She says it’s the only thing Apollo ever gave her.”  
“Why would she leave it then?”  
Leo thought. “She wouldn’t. Unless she left it for me to find.” He stood up and put the bracelet in his tool belt. “She’s alive, Frank. I know it.”  
“I can morph into a bird and do an aerial search for her.”  
“Can you?”  
Frank nodded and Leo watched as his body turned into that of an eagle. He soared above the treetops, searching for any sign of you. Leo followed, keeping his eyes peeled for you. After a half-mile, Frank let out a loud caw. He circled in the air until he was sure Leo knew where to go. Leo ran as Frank flew to the ground.  
Your bow and quiver lay ten feet away from your body. Leo raced to you.  
“Leo, wait!” Frank yelled.  
A cyclops made his way from behind the trees. Leo grabbed your bow and an arrow from the quiver. He produced a small flame in his hand and set the tip of the arrow on fire. He notched the bow, and took aim.  
Apollo, he prayed. You know I suck with a bow, but please help me this one time. Help me save your daughter. And Artemis, I know I’m a guy, but can you do me a solid this one time?  
He took a breath and let the arrow fly. It sailed in the air before impaling itself in the cyclops’s neck. The cyclops disintegrated into dust, returning to Tartarus where it belonged.  
“Leo,” Frank called. “She’s awake.”  
Leo ran to your side. Your (E/C) eyes stared up at him. Blood was spilling from your mouth.  
“How’d you land that shot, Valdez?” You asked him. Leo had always sucked with a bow.  
He smiled. “I prayed to your dad. I guess he was in the mood to listen today.”  
“I prayed to him, too.” Your words slowed down, and your eyes began to flutter shut.  
“No, no, no, do not die on me! I am not letting you die.” Leo looked up at Frank. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn’t care who saw. “Gaea has to be near. Find the others and let them know where the fight is.”  
“What are you gonna do?”  
“I have to try and save her.” Leo moved to pick you up, but you caught his wrist in your hand.  
“I’m not moving. I can’t go down without a fight—I need to kill Gaea.” Your eyes became glassy, and your breaths were turning shallow. Against your will, your eyes began to close.  
“No!” Leo screamed. “(Y/N), you are not dying on me. Mi alma means ‘my soul’. I can’t live if anything happens to you. You need to be okay. We had a plan. You and I are making it back to Camp. Remember, you’re going to teach archery, and I’ll teach crafts. We’re supposed to live through this, (Y/N). You’re going to live through this.” He choked out the next part. “I love you.”  
You forced your eyes open. Leo was leaning over you, eyes full of worry, tears coming down in floods. Your hand felt around for his. When you found it, you squeezed it with all the strength you had left. “I love you, too, Leo Valdez.” Grass tickled your wrist where your bracelet usually was. “My bracelet.”  
“I have it.”  
“I-if I’m gonna die, I want to die with it.”  
“You’re not dying.”  
“Leo.” You gave him a pleading look. “Please.”  
He searched around his tool belt until the gold chain appeared. He clasped it around your wrist, and watched as it began to glow. Your skin began to burn.  
“What’s happening?” Leo asked. The cuts and scrapes on your body began to close. Blood stopped pouring from your mouth. Leo remembered where the bracelet came from. “The bracelet is healing you. I guess Apollo was in the mood to listen to us both.”  
Suddenly it all stopped. The bracelet ceased to glow, and your skin no longer burned. You finally felt strong enough to move. Slowly, you sat up. Leo watched your every move, eyes wide. He cupped your face in his calloused hands and smiled frantically. Without a second thought he crushed his lips onto yours. He poured everything he had into the kiss: love and fear and angst and longing.  
He was the first to pull away. Leaning his forehead against yours, he whispered, “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”  
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”


End file.
